


midnight snack

by secondbutton



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, i love making stubborn people fall in love, i'm really invested in these two now y'all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 06:51:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19762825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secondbutton/pseuds/secondbutton
Summary: Gemma can't sleep, Bobby makes jokes, and they both realize something about each other.





	midnight snack

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to tumblr user freckledtemper for giving my fic a first read!
> 
> We were talking about our MCs' comfort foods after a tough day and this 3000 word digression was the result. Make sure to check out her blog if you're looking for more Love Island fic!

Going to sleep, Gemma finally admitted, was a losing battle.  
  
It seemed like her brain couldn’t turn itself off long enough for her to lose consciousness. There was so much that had happened recently. First came the new boys, then came the dramatic kiss and tell challenge (where Bobby once again established himself as a phenomenal kisser), and finally the Rocco fiasco and the resulting fallout.   
  
She’d binge watched all of Love Island before and it’s not like she didn’t know this was coming, but to actually live through it was such a different experience entirely. It was exciting, yes, but also unexpectedly draining. Navigating all the clashing personalities while being mindful of making the best impression in person and on camera was an incredible challenge.  
  
Bobby rustled in bed next to her, cocooning himself more fully into the sheets. Even in the dark the sharp lines of his face were prominent. It was a little jarring (and admittedly endearing) to see his face without his customary cheeky smiles, she considered. He felt larger than life sometimes, with his unabashed humor and charm, but right now he was tangible and real and in her bed. He’d become an unexpected ally in the house and they’d been on the same page in terms of expectations in the villa from day one.  
  
Both of them had a tendency not to expect much from dating. Truthfully she suspected that Bobby had been through more than his boisterous nature let on when it came to past relationships. As for her, she’d just had way too many experiences with fuckboys in the past to get excited in the early days. (Too bad it didn’t seem like Priya swung her way or she would’ve been _all_ over that). It was easy for them both to agree that they were here to have fun. With the responsible and adult conversation out of the way, she felt free to acknowledge the palpable attraction between the two of them.  
  
Gemma, never one to wait when she didn’t have to, initiated a kiss the very first night. That had set the tone for them as a couple ever since. Her cheeks grew warm as she remembered the instances when Bobby would pull her into somewhere secluded to steal a kiss, his body pressed close against hers. He really was a frustratingly good kisser. Leaving each other breathless and turned on was quickly growing into a competition between the two of them. Being around Bobby — who was so easygoing, quick to laugh, and gorgeous _—_ was _fun_. She couldn’t remember the last time she could truthfully say that about a guy she was seeing,  
  
Still though, everything else going on around them was a lot. Back home whenever she’d have an overwhelming day she’d look forward to a bowl of tom kha gai and a night in as a reward for getting through it. There was a small family-owned Thai restaurant a few blocks from her apartment that had perfected the balance between sweet and spicy, and it always left a satisfying sense of warmth deep in her bones. She ached a little, surprised at her own homesickness in such a luxurious setting.  
  
Sleep an impossibility for now, she decided to get out of bed and head to the kitchen, walking on the balls of her feet and careful not to stir anyone else awake. She figured that coconut milk was likely not stocked in the pantry but decided to see what she could turn up anyway. She stepped through the villa, foregoing turning on the lights and relying mostly on her memory.  
  
The space was neat and organized, and though they had housekeepers she knew that it was Bobby’s habit to keep a clean kitchen (the same could not be said for a lot of the other islanders, unfortunately). After a quick scan of the pantry she spotted some jasmine tea and set a kettle to boil.  
  
She had been carefully gauging the kettle to make sure it didn’t whistle and had just taken it off the stove when she felt the air stir, alerting her to the presence of someone else in the room. Gemma turned around just in time to see Bobby bring his palm to his face and cover a yawn. He stretched, cat-like, expanding his spine to its limit, the faint lines of his abs criss-crossing on his torso.  
  
She watched him take in the kettle and mug she had on the counter before he met her eyes and shot her a sleepy grin. His eyes weren’t fully alert but his smile let her know he didn’t mind being awake. He was in what she’d dubbed his “cake by the pound” shorts and there were still indents on his bare torso where the creases of the bedsheets left their mark. God, he was so _fine_.  
  
“Couldn’t sleep?”  
  
There was a rasp in his throat and coupled with the “just woke up” look in his face, Gemma was suddenly aware that in this moment they were seeing completely new sides of each other. Late nights felt like a different dimension almost, and they were both alone, barely clothed and physically bare. She sensed a softness, an ease, that she hadn’t noticed before between them. Her first instinct was to cover up, not literally but to downplay why she was alone in the kitchen tonight: she was feeling a little overwhelmed. But on the other side of the kitchen island he was looking at her so earnestly. He’d gotten out of bed, she knew, because her side was empty and he sought her out.  
  
A part of her wanted to shrug him off, but instead she tapped her temple as she said, “Yeah, there’s just a lot going on in here, you know?”  
  
He pulled out one of the island’s stools and sat while she grabbed another mug from the shelves and poured hot water into a teapot with loose tea leaves. She placed the teapot and mugs on the granite between them before walking over to his side of the island and jumping slightly onto the counter to sit facing him, her thighs brushing his arm.  
  
He noted the time on the stove, no doubt to make sure they didn’t oversteep the tea. Bobby was really good at brewing, she remembered. “Tell me about it. Today was wild.”  
  
“For the record,” he continued. “I wouldn’t be angry if you kissed someone else, as long as it doesn’t blow up like _that._ ”  
  
“Please Bobby, I’ve got a little more finesse than that.”  
  
“Oh, I think I’m starting to get a good handle on your _finesse._ ” He leaned back in his seat to observe her, his eyes raking over her slowly from the barely there straps of her silk nightgown, to the lace scalloping a deep V on her chest, to the high slit revealing smooth expanses of her thigh.  
  
She winked and leaned back, twisting to pour tea in their mugs. She was aware that this new position stretched her nightie, revealing more of her cleavage and legs. “Honestly though, I’d tell you if someone else interested me like that.”  
  
He knew about her crush on Noah, after all she had picked him to couple up with first. But Noah was deeply devoted to Hope and nothing had happened between them (besides looks from across the room that left her hot, god that man was intense).  
  
“Anything _you_ want to tell me?” She nudged him with her toe and told herself his answer didn’t really matter.  
  
He avoided answering for a few seconds by taking sips of his tea before raising his eyebrow at her, “Weeeeeell…”  
  
She shot him a questioning look back, laced with a hint of a challenge, her own eyebrow lifted and lips pursed.  
  
“Kidding, kidding!" He set his tea down and raised his hands palms up, “You know I’m just friends with the other girls.”  
  
“Yes, but _we’re_ friends too.”  
  
“Gemma we’re not friends, we’re _friends._ ” The emphasis on the last word was accompanied by a cheeky grin, and despite herself she couldn’t help but be amused by him and grinned back.  
  
“You mean, friends that snog.”  
  
“You know, that’s a great idea!”  
  
She rolled her eyes but shifted all the same so that he was between her legs. He scooped her up from around her hips to pull her into his lap.  
  
“You think anyone is awake right now?”  
  
“Nope, I admit that this was my plan all along and I wasn’t going to let anyone get in the way of me kissing you in the middle of the night.”  
  
“What made you think I was up for it?”  
  
“Mm, maybe because earlier today I told you purple was my favorite color and now you’re wearing a purple nightie?” He pinched the lace of her hem between his forefinger and thumb.  
  
She laughed softly, the sound tinkling between them. “Oh, you noticed that?"  
  
“I make it a priority to notice a lot of things about you, babe.” He leaned in, their current position placing her neck parallel to his mouth. He stopped before actually placing his lips on her and she could feel his warm breath on her skin.  
  
His hands traced the same path as his eyes had a few minutes before, palms cupping her shoulders and tugging at her straps. They traveled down and ghosted around the sides of her chest, gliding across silk before sliding to the dip of her waist and coming to a rest on her hips, one of his thumbs resting on top of the high slit on her thigh.  
  
Her hands were on his chest and she felt the urge to flex her fingers against him and dig her nails in a little but resisted. Over the past few days she’d become more and more adept at a game that Bobby liked to play when they were alone. He liked to tease her, make her think that he was about to kiss her but pull himself back at the last second just to witness her frustration and relish in the fact that she wanted him bad enough to anticipate it.  
  
She rolled down into his lap instead and he huffed, not expecting it but delighting in the feeling all the same. “No fair, Gemma.”  
  
“You didn’t wake yourself up in the middle of the night just to tease me, did you?”  
  
He shook his head in amusement and finally, _finally_ , he kissed her. She pulled their bodies closer together immediately, pretense disappearing like the space between them. He caught her bottom lip between his teeth and nipped. She shivered and felt the shakes roll down from her shoulders to the base of her spine. His hands squeezed the soft flesh of her hips and she rocked into him, losing herself in the push and pull of their lips. She was starting to discover just how intense he could be when he wasn’t holding back.  
  
He pulled away slowly, traveling to kiss her cheek before settling at the juncture of her jaw and neck. His tongue danced on her skin and she let out an unbidden gasp, remembering at the last second to stifle herself before it turned into a groan. Her hands found his upper arms and her nails dug into his triceps. It was his turn to gasp now, the short puff of his breath cooling her wet, heated skin and causing her to squeeze her legs around him.  
  
He surged up to kiss her again and reached under her nightie to tug down the side of her panties. The feel of his palm against her bare ass registered in her brain suddenly, and she pulled away.  
  
“Bobby, Bobby,” she gestured to a corner of the room. “The cameras.”  
  
He stilled immediately and withdrew his hands. His chest heaved with his sharp, deep breaths, and his eyes were still addled with desire. She was sure she was reflecting the same image. She could feel the puffiness of her lips and her heart was hammering an unmissable beat, sending echoes throughout her body.  
  
“Is it just me or are we getting really good at that?” She chuckled, though it came out sounding more like a huff, her breath still catching in her throat.  
  
“Definitely not just you.”  
  
“Oh good, I’d hate to be the only one.” He leaned forward to kiss the tip of her nose, his usual sign that the mood between them was shifting from blinding heat to lighthearted playfulness.  
  
She sent him a smile, appreciative of the effortless way he stopped when she wanted and jumped right into the comfortable rhythm of their banter. He made it so easy to like him.  
  
“I know I told you that I followed you out here with an ulterior motive,” he said as he ran his hands up and down the tops of her thighs. She could feel the ridges of his calluses on her skin and had to intentionally focus on the words he was saying. “But genuinely, are you okay?”  
  
She bit the corner of her lip, still tender from their heated kisses. They had snogged and he still wanted to talk about feelings? _Who_ is _this boy?_ she wondered.  
  
He’d done an unthinkable job of entering through her defenses in the time that they’d been coupled up. It was nerve-wracking to think that maybe she’d found someone worth letting in again.  
  
She leaned back and considered him for a moment. His lips were plump from kisses like hers, his dreads a little disheveled from when she had tugged to close the distance between them. His eyes had lost the sleepy sheen they had when he first entered the kitchen. Now they held remnants of the heat they had shared, mingling with a true concern for her that furrowed his brow.  
  
It hit her without warning: he had gotten what he wanted and he had stayed to comfort her. Because he cared about how she felt.  
  
Gemma swallowed, and she knew that his innocent question, with her innocent answer, could open the door for more than just stolen kisses and teasing and winking from across the room.  
  
“Genuinely,” she let out a sharp breath. “I’m a little… overwhelmed. I think I just needed a few moments by myself.”  
  
He hummed in acknowledgement, sensing that she had more to say. He shifted them so that both of her legs were dangling off his left side, coaxing her to tuck her head under his chin and running his hand up and down her right arm.  
  
“I think my brain didn’t want me to go to sleep yet because I haven’t really been able to just be…” she reached for the word. “Idle, for the past few days.”  
  
She felt him nod against the the crown of her head.  
  
“I feel you. It’s been an absolute roller coaster ride.”  
  
“Right, and I usually _like_ rollercoasters. I think part of it is that so much happens and you never fully get to react to one thing before something else blows up the villa, so you’re just… emotionally stopped up. And then there’s all this pressure to make sure you’re making a good impression.”   
  
She paused. “Do I sound like I’m complaining?”  
  
He squeezed her upper arm for a beat, “Not at all. You’ve been pretty collected, considering everything. This week has been fun but I definitely feel like I need a vacation from my vacation.”  
  
She huffed out a soft laugh and kissed his cheek in response, his reassurances loosening the anxious knot in her chest. “Thanks, Bobby.”  
  
Feeling lighter, she slid off his lap to plant her feet on the floor. There was a slight wobble in her knees as she stood, and she didn’t miss the satisfied, lopsided grin he sent to let her know he noticed it.  
  
She turned to grab her mug of tea, now room temperature from her neglect, to hide her own grin. He stood up too and together they straightened up the kitchen.   
  
Before they headed back to their room, Bobby reached out to grasp her hand.   
  
“Hey,” he started. “I’m glad you shared that with me. I know it’s not easy for you — or me, to be honest — to talk about that kind of stuff.”  
  
He was giving her that earnest look again, the one that told her that he actually wanted to _know_ her. She twisted her wrist so that her fingers slotted in between his and held his hand. Somehow this simple touch felt more intimate than when their limbs were wrapped around each other. She wanted to run towards it and away from it all at the same time.  
  
“You make it easy to talk to you.”  
  
He brightened at that, his smile stretching his face, and he tugged her towards him by their interconnected hands before dropping a kiss on her forehead.  
  
“Right back at you, Gemma.”  
  
A few minutes later they were back in bed, and she finally felt drowsiness settle in her bones. Bobby took his place curled up behind her, one arm under her pillow and the other draped across her waist. He dropped a kiss on her shoulder and she squeezed his hand before relaxing into a long-awaited sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> There are so many hints in Bobby's dialogue and demeanor about how he's been hurt in the past and I've become really enamored with the idea of him falling in love with someone that has similar baggage and is as guarded and skeptical as him. It's a fun challenge to balance physical attraction, compatible values, and niggling doubts. Thanks so much for reading!


End file.
